Toy lantern.



No. 732,806. PA'I'BNTED JULY 7, 1903.. G. H. WOLPERT.

' TQY LANTERN.

IPPLIQATION FILED APB. '7. 1902. RENEWED HAY 4, 1903.

H0 MODEL.

WlTNESSES INVENTOR.

m m i 'Nr NORRIS PEYiRs c0. vnurzrumou WASHINGTUN. n. c,

Eatented July '7, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

CARLOS H. WOLFERT, oF'ToLnoo, OHIO.

TOY LANTERN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,806, dated July '7, 1903. Application filed April 7,1902. Renewed May 4, 1903. 8erial No. 155,684. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CARLOS H. WOLFERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at T0- 1edo,in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Lanterns; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of lanterns commonly known as jack-o-lanterns, and adapted to represent a hollowed-out pumpkin having grotesquelyshaped eyes, nose, and mouth out therein; and it consists of the novel features, details of construction, and combination of parts, which hereinafter will be more fully described and finally claimed.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, cheap, and easily-constructed lantern of the class above described which can'be readily opened to enable the candle contained therein to be lighted and which may be either suspended loosely from a handle provided for that purpose or held in a rigid and vertical position on the same. The device to which said handle may be either loosely or rigidly secured also performs the object of a shaft or pivot by means of which one of the. semispherical sections of which the lantern is composed is adapted to swing within the other, thus enabling the lantern to be opened without separating the parts of which it is composed.

I/Vhile the essential and characteristic features of my invention are necessarily susceptible of modification, still the preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure I is a central vertical sectional view of the device embodying my invention, showing the two semispherical parts in closed position and the method by which they are pivotally joined, together with the candle-socket and the means of support. Fig. II is a vertical perspective view of my device, showing the face thereof; and Fig. III is avertical sectional View of the same, showing one section thereof inclosed within the other as it appears when open.

In the drawings, 1 represents the face or front semispherical section of my device, which is provided with grotesquely-shaped openings, as shown therein, adapted to represent the eyes, nose, and mouth of the lantern, and 2 represents the back semispherical section, which is made slightly smaller than the front section, thus enabling it to swing and be inclosed within saidfront section, as shown in Fig. III. Each of these semispherical sections 1 and 2 are provided at the upper and lower portions of their respective rims or edges with the apertures 4 and at for the insertion of the wire or pivotal support 5, thus providing a suitable pivot for one of said sections to swing or turn within the other.

The means by which I accomplish the objects enumerated and in which the principal features of my improvements lie consist of the wire 5, which is adapted to be inserted through the apertures 4. and 4', provided in the rims of the sections, as aforesaid, and act as a pivot for the said sections to turn on, and is provided at its lower end with a helical or spirally-shaped socket 6, formed by the looping of the wire. I prefer to form this socket by making two spiral sections on the same wirethat is to say, the wire is spirally bent to form a socket composed of two or more loops and then extends downwardly a short distance in a straight line and a second spiralor looped portion is formed-thus making a rigid, light, and cheaply-constructed socket. Theupper end of the wire 5, which is made to extend slightly above the intersection of the sections 1 and 2, is screw-threaded to receive the internally-screw-threaded cap 8, which is adapted to hold the semispherical sections in place on the said wire. The cap 8 has a hat or thumb portion in which is provided the aperture 8 for the insertion of the hook 9, secured to the lower end of the handle or pole 7, when it is desired to carry the lantern in a suspended position, the lantern being enabled when so carried to swing loosely thereon. Itwill therefore be understood that the handle or pole 7 may be inserted in the socket formed by the looped or spiral portion 6 of the wire 5 when it is desired to carry the lantern in an upright or vertical position, or the hook 9 on the end of the pole 7 may be engaged with the apertured cap 8 and the pole carried in ahorizontal position, with the lantern suspended therefrom at an angle and permitted to swing loosely thereon.

In the lower portion of one of the sections forming the head or body of the lantern, preferably the back portion, and adjacent to the wire or pivotal connection 5 there is secured a socket 10, adapted to receive a candle and hold the same rigidly therein. This socket conforms to the construction usually used in magic or jack-o-lanterns, being rolled from a single oblong piece of metal to form a tubular body and having the ears 10 extending downwardly from its lower edge to engage with apertures in the lower portion of one of the said semispherical parts. I do not confine myself to this construction, as the same may be of any convenient or desired form.

At the top and bottom of the lantern I provide the ventilation-ports 11 and 11 for the inlet of air and the outlet of heat and gases formed by the burning candle.

By reference to the drawings it will be noticed that the sections 1 and 2, which form the body of my lantern, are provided with the corrugations or peripheral grooves 12, with the axial line formed by the wire 5 as their common converging-points, to represent the corrugations and general contour of a pumpkin.

If it is desired to conceal the flame and glare of the light from View and to produce a soft and mellow glow thereof, thus increasing the grotesque and fantastic effects, the openings in the face portion representing eyes, nose, and mouth may be provided with a thin covering of translucent material, which may be of cloth, paper, or other suitable material and of any desired color.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an article of manufacture, the combination, with a body comprising two semispherical parts of different size, of a rod adapted to pierce said body at points diametrically opposite and upon which one of said parts pivotally swings and may be inclosed within the other, hanging means secured to one end of said rod and having its other end made spiml and adapted to receive a supportingpole, and a socket within said body to receive a candle, substantially as described.

2. In a lantern, comprising a front and a back portion and having apertures diametrically opposite on their inner edges and a candle-socket,the combination of a rod ad apt ed to pass through said apertures and to act as a pivot on which one of said portions may swing within the other, a cap having an aperture therein secured to one end of said rod, the other end of said rod being bent to form a socket, a pole with a hook on one end thereof, said pole being adapted to either rigidly support said lantern in a vertical position or loosely hold the same in a suspended position.

3. The combination, with a lantern comprising a front semispherical portion having a series of apertures therein and a back semispherical portion, the said portions being pivotally joined and one adapted to swing within the other, and having an aperturod ear on the top and a socket on the bottom thereof, of a support provided with a hook on one end thereof and adapted to either support the said lantern in a rigid upright position by being inserted in the said socket, or loosely suspend the said lantern by engaging the said hook with the said apertnred ear, substantially as described.

4. In a lantern, the combination with a spherical body having a candle-socket therein, of a rod extending through said body and piercing it at diametrically opposite points, a socket provided at one end of said rod, and a pole adapted to be received in said socket and support said body,'substantially as described.

5. In a lantern, the combination with a spherical body provided with light-emitting openings and having a candle-socket therein, of a rod extending through said body and piercing it at diametrically opposite points, an aperture provided in one end of said rod, means for retaining the rod in said body, and means for supporting said spherical body in suspended position, substantially as described.

6. In a lantern, the combination with a spherical body provided with light-emitting openings and comprising two parts, a candlesocket provided within said body, a rod extending diametrically through said body, said rod provided with a socket at one end and an aperture in the other end, of a pole adapted to be inserted in said socket and hold the said body in rigid upright position or to engage with said aperture with the said body in a suspended position thereto, substantially as described.

7. In a lantern of the class described, the combination of a body comprising two semispherical parts, means provided to permit one of said parts to swing within the other, a candle-support secured to one of said parts, and means, comprising a pole, adapted to engage with said body in such manner as to support it in either a suspended swinging position or in a rigid elevated position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CARLOS I-I. \VOLFERT.

Witnesses:

WILBER A. OWEN, CHAS. W. OWEN. 

